Georgia Senator Michael Williams wouldn't mind if Donald Trump used the n-word in the past, he said in a conversation with CNN's Victor Blackwell on Saturday. The senator, who is white, appeared on New Day Saturday and defended Trump saying he has not used that word as president.
"I will always say using the n-word is wrong, and it's bad, and should never be accepted in our society. But just because [Trump] might have done it years ago, not as our president, doesn't mean we need to continue to berate him because he used it," he said. "To hold somebody accountable for something he did years ago as our president today, I think it sets a bad precedent."
Williams expressed in a personal environment, he would mind if Trump used the word, but as a leader, it does not bother him.
"It would not necessarily matter to me as the person that is running our country," he said. "[Trump] has his personal beliefs, his personal ideas. I truly believe he is able to separate those from how he is running the country."
The speculation surrounding Trump's use of the derogatory term resurfaced with the release of Omarosa Manigault Newman's book Unhinged, which targets the Trump White House. Omarosa served as a White House aide and released secret White House recordings earlier this week.
Omarosa, who is black, claimed Trump used the n-word when she appeared on The Apprentice. She said a recording exists.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders spoke on the allegation in a Tuesday press conference. Sanders explained she has never heard Trump use the n-word, but cannot be sure a tape of him saying it does not exist, CNN reported.
Trump tweeted defensively. "I don't have that word in my vocabulary, and never have. She made it up," the tweet read.
Omarosa released her latest White House tape on Thursday. The tape allegedly revealed Trump's senior campaign advisor and daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, offering Omarosa a campaign position with a large salary in exchange for speaking well of the Trump family and the administration after her departure from her position as White House aide. The woman on the tape, who Omarosa said was Lara, is heard offering Omarosa $15,000 a month.
Lara denied the accusations. "Another one of Omarosa's 'bombshell' tapes is a fraud. The discussions about a position with the campaign took place in numerous phone calls over the course of several weeks," she said in a statement reported by Fox News on Friday.
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